Congrats Grads
by AddictedToStory
Summary: Beck and Jade have a major announcement to make during an anxiety-inducing graduation party. It goes about as well as they expected. That is to say, not well.


There are many traditions that come along with graduating high school. They vary by school or family, but they always exist and they tend to be more stressful than enjoyable for everyone involved. One particularly stressful tradition for students at Hollywood Arts is the graduation party almost every student throws during the summer. They generally all have a few things in common, such as cakes from Costco, rented white tents, and picture slideshows. However, there are many variations. They can be for family, friends, or both and there's a large range of effort and money put into them.

In fact, there was quite a bit of variation in the parties thrown by Beck's friend group alone. Cat Valentine threw a huge carnival-themed party in the Asphalt Cafe that was open to everyone in the school, Andre Harris hosted a movie marathon exclusively for their group, Tori Vega's party was an awkward mix of family and friends all mingling in her backyard, and Robbie Shapiro's party was family only. Their parties had all been within a week of the graduation ceremony, but Beck's was later in the summer, due to an ill-planned trip to Canada right after graduation. His parents had tried to sell him on an exclusively family party as well and Beck had intended to agree as long as he could make an exception for his girlfriend, Jade West. That is, until Beck found out said girlfriend wouldn't be having a party of her own and insisted that the two of them shared Beck's party.

Beck's parents had never really liked Jade, but had grown to accept her (his mom more so than his dad, but he would take what he could get) in the ten years since she and Beck had become friends. They also felt somewhat sorry for her. Her family sucked. They knew that. Or, at least, some of it. They knew that she spent almost all of her time away from home and, thanks to a conversation initiated by Beck, that her family issues fully explained her so called 'bad attitude' and then some. They had long ago accepted that she would be a part of many of their holiday traditions and family vacations and they seemed less than surprised when his grad party turned into hers as well.

Jade had insisted that she didn't need 'some dumb party for dumb people we don't even like', but Beck had begged until she relented and invited the few family members she could stand, as well as their small group of friends from school. They had spent a good few weeks planning because 'if we're gonna do it, we're gonna do it right' and all of their friends had agreed to help in accordance with a pact they had made months ago to make sure that each others' parties ran smoothly.

Tori had chosen to fulfill her part of this pact at previous parties by putting together the slideshow, but Beck had foreseen trouble with this plan as soon as Jade agreed to combine their parties. Tori didn't know Jade well. Not that Jade made it easy, but Tori had never really seen Jade as anything other than the stereotypical, one-dimensional 'mean girl' and Beck knew her slideshow would reflect that. And that was the last thing he needed his family to see. None of them really like Jade either. Again, not that she made that easy.

Tori had resisted at first, insisting that he could just send her the pictures he wanted to use and she could put them with everything the others gave her, just as she had done previously, but Beck knew he needed to be the one to edit the pictures. He was worried that Tori would either only include pictures that fit with Jade's typical persona or that she would use mostly embarrassing pictures as some sort of not-completely-innocent joke. So, he spent almost a week compiling pictures and editing the slideshow after Jade fell asleep, doing his best to show Jade as he had always seen her. Complex, talented, beautiful, interesting, intelligent, hilarious. That was his Jade. Jade who wasn't so affected by anxiety that she had to be violent and intimidating to maintain control over every situation.

He nervously showed her the video for final approval the night before the party and she had stared at the screen for so long after it ended that he was worried she was going to start yelling at him. She didn't though. She just said "Yeah. That works," in a tiny voice and kissed him in an attempt to hide her smile.

The morning of the party, he woke her up earlier than he generally did for school (with a large travel mug of coffee, as always). They didn't bother getting ready right away. Jade just slipped on a pair of leggings to go along with the old band t shirt of his that she wore to bed and threw her hair up in a ponytail, while he added a plain white shirt to his ensemble that had previously only included boxers and powder blue plaid pajama pants. They made their way into his backyard and started setting up the folding tables and chairs under the tent that had been delivered the day before. They mostly worked in silence, still waking up, but they became more talkative when they sat across from each other on the deck to put the center pieces together.

They talked about random things: summer plans, stuff Jade hates, how badly they needed to clean up the RV, concerts they wanted to see, but Beck could tell Jade's heart wasn't really in it. She kept biting her lip and scratching at the mostly faded scars running up her arms. That meant she was anxious and Beck hated when she was anxious. Especially when it was just the two of them. He wanted to help, but knew not to push her. He was pretty sure he knew why she was worrying and that she would talk to him when she was ready.

It turned out she was once they were in his truck on the way to pick up the food. She sat in the middle seat so she could be closer to him and didn't even bother to turn on the radio.

"What if they all still hate me?"

Beck knew exactly what she was talking about. Why she was so worried about getting his family's approval. He was a bit anxious too, but he also knew that it was relatively unimportant. They had so many things to worry about in the coming months and his family's opinions were not extremely high on the list.

"Screw 'em," he says simply, pulling her closer and pressing a kiss to her black curls. He sees the small smile cross her face before it is once again swallowed by anxiety and he kind of wants to ditch the party and never talk to anyone again if they're going to make Jade doubt their relationship.

They get back to his house just as Beck's Aunt Katie is getting out of her minivan. There are two other cars parked out on the street in front of his house and he knows they belong to various family members as well. He looks at Jade's nervous expression and realizes they are both still wearing their almost-pajamas, so he makes another lap around the block. This way Katie will be inside when they pull up and they can sneak back to the RV. They make their way inside quickly and Beck locks the door just in case anyone decides to be especially nosey.

They shower together to save time (though he's pretty sure the kissing and touching and staring that they are incapable of refraining from immediately eats it back up). She dries and curls her hair while he dresses and then they switch, Jade joining him in the mirror to start her makeup during the tail end of his hair-care routine.

She still has more makeup to do and jewelry to put on when he finishes, so he takes the food into the house and starts on the agonizingly boring small talk. He loves his family, he does, but their lives are much slower-paced than his and they tend to be pretty judgemental, so most of the conversations he has with them are less than pleasant. Still, he kisses his aunts' cheeks, cheerfully greets his youngest cousins, and lets his grandma talk about his good looks for a few minutes.

It isn't long before he has to greet his Uncle Tom. Tom and his wife, Emma, live in Montreal with their two elementary-school-aged children. Emma is politely disinterested in most conversations and the kids are often distracted by toys and electronics, but Tom involves himself in every conversation he possibly can. Generally in an inappropriate, offensive manner. True to form, his first questions upon seeing Beck are "So where's that girl of yours?" and "Finally get sick of her and upgrade to one less bitchy?"

Beck clenches his hands into fists in a mostly-ineffective attempt at redirecting his anger and manages to get out between gritted teeth that she is still in the RV getting ready. Beck ignores Tom's comments about 'high-maintenance' and 'not worth it' in favor of his aunts' only marginally better shock regarding their 'intimacy'.

"We had to be up early, so she slept over," he explained calmly, leaving out the part about her spending almost every night there since they were sixteen. His aunts sigh and move into the kitchen, most likely to continue the conversation with his mother, but he really doesn't pay attention because he hears a knock on the door and whirls around. Even though there is next to no chance she would bother knocking, he still hopes it's Jade.

It's Tori. Because _of course._

Beck knows his family. He knows that they will undoubtedly take a liking to Tori and that many of them will think she and Beck are a better couple than Beck and Jade. A lot of them will believe that to be an appropriate thing to bring up to one or more of the three of them. Beck had been hoping to minimize the amount of family members that spent any significant amount of time with Tori, but that would be nearly impossible when she was one of the first to arrive.

He hugs her, thanks her for coming, and introduces her to the group as a whole. They just get done unanimously agreeing that Tori is such a 'nice girl' when Jade comes in (without knocking, as he expected) and wordlessly drops into his lap.

She looks absolutely gorgeous in a dark blue sundress and black strappy heels. The gold jewelry decorating her wrists, fingers, and ears catches the light beautifully, but her nose and eyebrow piercings are the normal silver, to go with the washer necklace that matches the one around his own neck. Her makeup is, as always, dark but not excessive and her black curls are streaked with blue and green. He knows her appearance contrasts greatly with those of the other women in the room, all of whom wear light makeup and either bright colors or pastels. He also knows that this is why the adults are sending them both judgemental looks at every opportunity, but he doesn't really care because she looks a little bit like a goddess and he can't stop staring at her long enough to snap at them.

Luckily, guests start arriving quickly after that and there are too many of them for the introductions to last any more than a minute. Although this is a joint party, Jade has very few guests. She only invited the family she actually liked spending time with: her mom, younger brother, paternal grandma, and Aunt Rachel. Jade sticks by his side until Cat, the last guest of major importance to her, gets there and then the two of them move to the porch swing while Cat catches Jade up (in excruciating detail) on her life since they last saw each other. Beck's father's friends give him cards that they freely admit their wives picked out and his mom's friends remark that he must be 'so popular' and 'a ladies' man' for five minutes straight without letting him get a word in edgewise. His aunts and uncles that live far away ask him about sports. Most of the ones he sees at least semi-regularly remember to ask about theatre instead. Jade's brother joins his cousins in a game for which he is very obviously the odd one out, but doesn't seem to mind and her other relatives claim a small table for themselves. His grandpa uses so much figurative language his head spins and his cousins greet him as awkwardly as one would expect children being forced to interact with other children to do. All-in-all, the party couldn't be going better.

Beck finds his friends once the stream of new arrivals dies down and joins in their conversation about... Rex's plans to go to community college, apparently. Jade sits in his lap and runs her hands through his hair while they pretend to listen and Beck is actually pretty hopeful that the party will end up going well.

Because Beck's parents insisted on a 'proper' party, speeches are made while everyone eats their salads. His parents start by thanking everyone for coming and wishing him 'good luck in all his future endeavors' and then they project the slideshows Beck had made against the back wall of the tent. His is first and it is the standard mix of silly childhood pictures, nice looking high school pictures, and records of his achievements, all played along with 'inspirational' songs from the current Top 40. It was nice, but nothing particularly important to Beck. What was important, however, was Jade's slideshow, which featured only instrumental music and an array of pictures chosen extremely carefully by Beck, Cat, and Jade's mom.

Jade and Cat, at thirteen, backstage during their first ever play at HA, arms wrapped tightly around each other and grinning. Jade sitting in the middle of a group picture, smiling brightly, hugging Robbie and Andre. Sitting in the nearly-dead grass on top of a hill, the Hollywood sign in the background and the sunlight making her then-brown hair look gold. Wearing a leather jacket and holding an old camera in a rustic cafe, sepia tones, no trace of a smile. Twelve, grinning at the camera and cuddling a white puppy in her arms. Mirror selfie in Beck's band tee and faded blue jeans, friendship bracelet from Cat wrapped around her wrist. Beck's couch, legs folded under her, holding a guitar, makeup free and laughing. Ten, lying on her back in the grass, bright blue shirt, eyes closed.

There are a ton more, all showing different sides to Jade, good sides. Beck can't quite get a good read of the room. It's mostly thinly-veiled disinterest, but there are some curious looks thrown Jade's way, especially from their friend group, and her family are all smiling brightly. Jade has her face buried in his neck. He kisses her, tells her he loves her, and then gently shifts her onto her own chair so he can stand up.

It's time for his speech now.

"Hi guys, thanks so much for coming out to celebrate. It really means a lot to me. And thank you for helping me in my journey throughout high school. I know I wouldn't be where I am today if it weren't for all of you." The speech is rough, but words are Jade's thing, not his. He's an actor. Such a good one that, at this point, he isn't entirely sure how much of his thanks is sincere. "Now as much as today is about celebrating the past- my achievements in high school and everything I learned- it is also about celebrating the future. A future I am very much looking forward to. Now, this year, I have been asked countless times what I want for my future. Counselors, teachers, family, friends, and strangers want to know if I'm continuing my education and what career I want to pursue and where I see myself in ten years. Believe me, I've put a lot of thought into all of these questions and, to tell you the truth, I still don't have very many concrete answers. But there is one thing I know for sure," At this, Beck grabs Jade's hand and helps her up to stand next to him. He purposefully isn't looking at the audience, but he knows she can't help it. She's shaking a little, but squeezes his hand tightly. _Go on. _So he does. "I love Jade. I need Jade. In every possible future I have imagined since I was fourteen, Jade has been there. So, when asked what I want to do with my future, I decided I really just want to be with Jade. So I asked her to marry me. And she said yes." He can't help the nerves in his voice as he announces this to their audience, but he knows that anyone who can detect it can also see that he is so incredibly happy; can see the smile that won't leave his face and the way he hugs her as close to him as he can.

No one reacts for a long time. They wait out the stunned silence until it turns into confused, unsure applause and Jade smiles like they just got a reaction fifty times more enthusiastic and pulls him back down to sit with her. Chatter resumes, though it is more subdued and almost definitely all about them.

Cat tackles Jade into a hug and Tori eventually joins in, relaxing a bit when Jade hugs her back. Robbie is next, and Andre kisses her cheek, though both of them are glaring at him the whole time. Beck expected that. As soon as he bought the ring, he pictured his family's and friends' reactions and they were very rarely good. After he actually proposed to Jade, they talked about this moment extensively and could never come up with very hopeful scenarios. It didn't really matter, though. He's never seen her smile as big as she did when she saw the ring. She didn't leave his side for three days straight after he asked, always touching him somehow and always smiling at least a little bit. She hadn't gotten jealous since he asked, either. It was an unexpected, but not unwelcome, side effect. When girls flirted with him, even if he didn't really stop them, she barely reacted, just hugged him a little closer to her and kissed him a little harder. Their sex life had also improved, which was a pretty cool bonus.

In the month since he'd asked her, just after his eighteenth birthday, they had only told her mom and Cat. Cat because she had been both of their best friends for almost as long as they had known each other (and because Jade needed to talk to somebody that she was reasonably confident would react favorably) and Jade's mom because they didn't think it was fair to her to include her in this pseudo-revenge for doubting them when she never had. She deserved to get to react and process and hug her daughter in private, unlike Beck's parents, whose obsession with appearances they were sort of counting on to lessen the intensity of the initial reaction.

It seemed to be working, as they were still trying to politely field hundreds of questions from relatives who were _shocked _and _scandalized_ and hadn't yet made their way over to Beck and Jade's table. Jade was trying to somewhat-delicately explain to Tori why she couldn't be Maid of Honor (Jade had almost immediately asked Cat in accordance with a pact they had made when they were ten) when the Olivers finally found them.

"Beck," his father started, voice low and dripping with anger. "A word. In _private._"

"Jade's coming, too," Beck said, grabbing her hand, which she squeezed back. _Right here. Promise._ His parents' anger intensified, but they didn't protest, just lead the way into the house and upstairs to Beck's old bedroom.

The resulting argument lasted hours. Beck could only assume the guests had gone home and he was half-grateful that none of them had insisted on talking to him, as he was sure it wouldn't be good. His parents went from silent to screaming to sobbing in five-minute or so cycles until it was dark out. Several times, Jade's breathing got shallow and she gripped his hand so tightly he couldn't feel it anymore. He tried to get her to leave, go to his RV and catch her breath because they passed all hope of having a meaningful conversation long ago, but she just shook her head each time and rested her head on his shoulder until her breathing was back to normal.

"I can't believe you would do this! No son of mine would do something this stupid!"

_Her hair smelled like wildflowers. Her extensions were purple._

"I have half a mind to kick you out right now. You want to make adult decisions, then fine! You can be an adult."

_She said yes before he even got the question out._

"How irresponsible! How stupid! I can hardly look at you right now. You used to be such a good boy. Before this _she-devil_ corrupted you."

_He gave her the promise ring when they were fifteen. She gave him a blood vial necklace when they were seventeen. This has been a long time coming._

His parents finally go to bed when the sun has just started to rise and his mother's voice barely works anymore. They don't even bother moving to the RV. They fall asleep on Beck's old Spider-Man sheets. He thinks he might have cried. She called him 'love' and she only does that when he cries.

_He's going to choose her, though. He knew this as soon as he gave the Jared's salesman the money he'd been saving for a car. He'll choose her every time, no matter what. He knows it's dumb and stupid but, God, if he's ever been sure of anything, it's that they are going to spend the rest of their lives together. There was never any other possibility._

* * *

**Since the last few things I've uploaded have been really short, I'm posting one of my longer stories. I'm not completely happy with this, but I think this is as close as it will get to what I was going for. **

**The pictures I described in Jade's slideshow are based on actual pictures of Liz that I've come across in the past few years on Instagram.**

**Thanks for reading! **

**-J **


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